Garden tips, DIY and décor advice, green living tidbits and information for homesellers from GateHouse News Service. Home Help helps you prep your house for the seasons, find out ways to do chores and repairs better, and learn about new products for
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Garden tips, DIY and décor advice, green living tidbits and information for homesellers from GateHouse News Service. Home Help helps you prep your house for the seasons, find out ways to do chores and repairs better, and learn about new products for your humble abode.

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Rainwater can be made potable to serve your house’s entire water supply.

Oct. 7, 2013
9:30 a.m.

Tip of the Week

It may not seem like it, but water is a scarce resource. That’s why rainwater harvesting is becoming more commonplace, says Luke Snyder, a water conservation expert based in Waco, Texas.

“The price for you to purchase water has risen exponentially over recent years. Of all the water on Earth, only .007 percent is readily available for human use,” Snyder says. “With the ongoing drought, strangely enough people feel inclined to use more water, which ultimately leads to water shortages and restrictions.”

His business, JerNan Septic and Rainwater Solutions, focuses on onsite wastewater treatment and reuse as well as rainwater harvesting and stormwater management.

Snyder offers some tips for making the most out of rainwater:

• Acquire rain barrels. Start with a couple for your potted plants. Make a control group: Take two like plants, and water one only with collected rainwater and the other only with tap water. “It won't take long to see which source of water is better for the plants. Once you see those results, it's hard to stop,” Snyder says.

• Use rainwater for anything. “If it takes water, rainwater will work,” Snyder says. Rainwater can be made potable to serve your house’s entire water supply. Because it’s naturally soft, rainwater leaves no residue and reduces the use of lotions, conditioners and detergents.

• Use it year-round. Don’t just think of collecting rainwater during heavy-rain seasons like spring and fall. Some parts of the country that have a high freeze potential can’t collect year-round, but keep in mind: If there’s a dew or heavy fog, that water gets collected, too.